Excavator and loader



Feb. 3, 1925. 1,524,734

E. P. DoUGLAss EXCAVATOR AND LOADER F'led Feb. 11, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f N VE N T0 2 f/dr/dge 1D. Doug/ais Patented Feb. 3, 192,5.

UNETED STTE treatin paraat' ersten.

EXCAVATOR AND LOADER.

Application led February 11, 1924. Serial No. 691,943.

To all whom 2'1. may concern:

Be it known that I, ELDRIDGE P. DoUG- Lass. a citizen ot the United States, residing at Marianna` county of Lee, and the State I ot Arkansas, have invented a certain new and usetul Improvement in Excavators and Loaders, of which the following is a full, clear. and exact description, such as will enable anyone skilled in the art to make and use the same.

My invention relates to means especially adapted to he used in connection with a traction engine for the purpose of loading gravel or other excavated material into wagons orl other conveyances b-y which it may be removed from the point at `which it is unloaded.

The objects ot my invention are to provide a simple and etiicient mechanism by means of which excavated material may be raised with a skip along an inclined plane and may be. when raised sufiiciently high, dumped into a chute through which it. will be discharged preferably into a wagon or truck tor hauling away. l

It is a further object of this invention to accomplish this by making use of the mechanism of one of a number ot' the more common forms of tractors.

I accomplish these objects as will be more fully hereinafter set forth in the drawings, specification and claims.

ln the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my device as applied to one oi the well known forms of these tractors now on the market but having a portion of the eXtreme lower end of the loading incline broken away and also ha-ving'the snubbing posts for the cables omitted.

Fig. 2 is an end mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, 2 and 3 are the rear wheels of the tractor. 4 is the rear axle. and 5 the housincr covering an ordina-ry type of diiierential. the detail of which is not shown since such detail is not a part of this invention and since it is the purpose to purchase a elevation of the same -1... tractor containing this mechanism inthe open market. 6 and 7 are winding drums attached respectively to the wheels 2 and 3 and rotating therewith and 8 and 9 are brakes adapted to check the rotation of the drums 6 and 7 respectively. 11l and 12 are posts or supports formingaframe and bolted to the axle 4t4 adjacent the drum 6 and 7 by means ot U bolts 13 or any other suitable fastening' means. 14 are jacks resting on blocks 15 which jacks are shown simply as a means for raising the rear wheels of the tractor clear ot the ground in order that they may freely rotate. 16 is the shaft bolted to the upper end of the posts 12 by some means such as the clamps 17 and the screws or bolts 18 and bolted to the post 11 somewhat below the upper end thereof :in a similar manner.

From this shaft inclined guides or runways 19 extend downward and forward' over the trout. end of the tractor until the lower ends rest on the surface of the ground.

20 is a hopper attached to the post 11 and the runway 19 by simply boltingit thereto and also supported trom the said post and one of the runways, by means of the chains 21. The space between the runways is provided with. a floor 22 which extends trom the ground upward to the top of the hopper 20.

23 is a skip having a closed bottom and rear end and open top and front end which skipl is provided with a bail 24 to which is attached a hoisting rope- 25 which passes over a pulley 26 ournalled on the shaft 16 and thence passes around the drum 6 on which it is shown in the views herewith.

27 is a dumping and return cable which while shown stretched, is merely taut and is not supposed to be under strain. This cable passes over a pulley 28 journalled on a shatt 29 at the upper end of the posts 11 and from this pulley 28 it passes around a pulley 30 by which its alignment is changed thence to a second pulley 31 which brings it in alignment with the drum 7 around which it is adapted to be coiled. The outer.`

end of the cable 27 is attached to a stake or some form ot' snubb-ing device which is not shownin these drawings, which stake if it were shown in these drawings, would be at the point where the dotted position 27A of the cable extended would hit the ground. inasmuch however, as this is a variable point and may be moved closer to. or further away from the machine as occasion may require. it is not material that this be shown.

At the back end ot the skip 23 is an extension 32 in which are bolted p-ulleys 33 and- 34 the cable 27 passing over the pulley 33 and. under the pulley 34.

To use the device the machine is set up as shown in Fig. l and the rear wheels are raised clear of the groundby means of jacks '14 or any other suitable means which may be therefor provided. vOne end of the cable is fastened to the drum 6 and similarly one end of the cable 27 is fastened to the drum 7. The free end of' the cable 27 is then carried forward some 25 or 30 feet in front ofthe machine and securely staked to the groundand the machine is ready for use. The engine of the tractor is started with the differential out of gear as is usual. The brake 8 is then clamped against the drum 6 and the differential thrown into gear. This will cause the free drum 7 to rotate and will draw the cable taut raising it to the position 27a shown dotted. The differential is then thrown out of gear, the brake 9 clamped to hold the cable taut in its dotted position 27a and the drum 6 released. In the meantime the skip will have been raised to a position similar to the dotted position 23a in which position it is suspended by the roller in its dotted position 34 and the cable 25 being on a loose drum will unwind, allo-wing the skip to run along the cable in its dotted position 27, until the skip strikes the ground. The brake 9 is then released so that the cable 27 again becomes a loose cable. The brake 9 is then clamped against the drum 7 andthe differential thrown into gear. The cable 25 winds on thev drum 6 dragging the skip 23 forward along the ground, causing it to pick up such loose material -as lies in its path or such material as it may dig into.

When the skip reaches the foot of the inclined guides 19, it slides upward alo-ng the door 22 thereof until it comes to a position over the chute 20, at which point the brake 9 is released and the brake 8 clamped against its drum 6. The dr-um 7 will then wind the cable 27 thereon drawing it into the position 27 and the skip 23 into the dumping position 23a. When the cable 27 reaches the dotted position 27, the differential is thro-wn out of gear and the brake 9 clam-pcd against the drum 7. By this time the skip should be entirely empty, the brake 8 is then released so that the skip m-ay travel along the dotted position 27a of the cable to a position to pick up another load, afterwhich the cycle just recited, is repeated until such loading or digging as may be feasible or desired is accomplished.

Thereafter, should it be deemed desirable, the' jacks 14 may be lowered until the wheels 2 rest on the ground and without disconnecting the cables the machine may be backed up a limited distance such as ten or fifteen feet, the jacks are again set in place, and the rear wheels raised o' the ground. The loading 'and dumping cycle may then be repeated and thenioving up again repeated until the limit of length of the cables be reached, when the snubbing posts must be loosened and the end of the cable 27 thus freed, be moved closer and again fastened. When this machine is used as a loader, the material is dumped through the chute 2() into the bed 35 of a w-agon or truck which may be placed under the chute for that purose.

Should the machine lbe used for excavating a ditch, the dirt may similarly be hauled oft or it m-ay be dumped in piles under the mouth o-f the chute as may be desired.

It will of course be understood that the details of construction here shown and described may be varied as may be found advisa-ble without departing in any way from the spirit of my invention. The machine may be braced in such manner as may be advisable, but as braces are merely details or' construction, it is not thought advisable to include them.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. In an excavator and loader, the coinbination with a tractor having a rear axle,

rear wheels, a differential therefor and opl erating means, of a drum fastened to each of the rear wheels and rotating therewith.- a frame fastened to the rear axle and extending upward therefrom, an inclined runway extending downwardly and forwardly from the upper end of said frame to the ground, a hopper beneath said runwav, supported by said runway and said frame and extending laterally outward therefrom, an excavating skip, a pulley rotatably supported by said frame at the upper end of said runway, a loading and hoisting cable attached to the front of said skip and extending therefrom over said pulley and downward to and attached to one of said drums, return ulleys mounted on the rear end of said skip, a second pulley rotatably mounted on the upper end of said frame, a dumping and return cable having a suitable anchorage, and extending from said anchorage over said second pulley and thence to the other of said drums, and a brake for each of the said drums.

2. In an excavator and loader, the combination with a tractor having a rear axle, rear wheels, a differential therefor and operating means, of a drum fastened to each of the rear wheels and rotating therewith, a frame fastened to the rear axle and extending upward therefrom, an inclined runway extending downwardly and forwardly from the upper end of said frame to the ground, a hopper beneath said runway. supported by said runway and said frame and extending laterally outward therefrom, an excavating skip, a pulley rotatably supported by said'frame at the up-per end of said runway, a loading and hoisting cable attached to said skip and extending therefrom over said pulley and downward to and attached to one of said drums, return pulleys mounted on the rear end of said skip, a second pulley rotatably mounted on the upper end of said frame, a dumping and return cable having a suitable anchorage and extending above said hoisting cable from said anchorage over said second p-ulleyl and thence over pulleys changing the alignment of said cable, to the otherof said drums, a brake for each of the said drums, and means for raising said rear wheels to permit free rotation thereof.

3. .In an excavator and loader, the combination with a tractor having a rear axle, rear wheels, a differential therefor and operating means, of a drum fastened to each of the rear wheels and rotating therewith, a frame fastened to the rear axle and extending upward therefrom, an inclined runway extending downwardly and forwardly from the upper end of said frame to the ground, a hopper beneath. said runway supported by said runway and said frame and extending laterally outward therefrom, an excavating skip, a pulley rotatably supported by said frame at the upper end of said runway, and in alignment with the center thereof, a loading and hoisting cable attached to said skip and extending therefrom over said pulley and downward to and attached to one of said drums, return pulleys mounted on the rear end of said skip, a second pulley rotatably mounted on the upper end of said frame, a

dumping and return cable above said hoisting cable having a suitable' anchorage and extending from said anchorage over said second pulley and thence to the other of said drums, a brake for arresting the motion for each of said drums, and means for raising said rear wheels to permit free rotation thereof.

4. In an excavator and loader, the combination with a tractor having a rear axle. rear wheels, a differential therefor, and operating means, of a drum fastened to each of the said wheels androtating therewith, a frame fastened to the rear axle and extending upward therefrom, an inclined runway extending downwardly and forwardly from the upper end of said frame to the ground, an excavating skip, a pulley iotatably supported by said frame at the upper end of said runway, a loading and hoisting cable attached to said skip and extending over said pulley and downward to and attached to one of said drums, return pulleys mounted on the rear end of said skip, a second pulley rotatably mounted on the upper end of said frame, a dumping and return cable having a suitable anchorage and extending from said anchorage over said second pulley and thence to the other of said drums, and a brake for each of the said drums.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name.

ELDRIDGE P. DOUGLASS. IVitnesses:

S. J. FLOYD, F. C. PEARsoN. 

